1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to portable electronic devices and more particularly, those devices that can detect light.
2. Description of the Related Art
In today's marketplace, consumers have numerous portable electronic devices, such as cellular telephones and personal digital assistants, from which to choose. The companies that manufacture these items are constantly seeking to add new features to them in an effort to drive demand. Unfortunately, this process leads to ever-increasing demands being placed on the rechargeable batteries that typically power these devices. In response, the engineers that design these products have made many advances to help conserve battery life.
As an example, many portable electronic devices include a photodetection circuit that enables such devices to measure lighting conditions. If ambient light levels are high enough, the photodetection circuit disables certain lighting circuits, such as those that light up displays and keypads. Although such an innovation helps rechargeable batteries conserve power, the photodetection circuit takes up valuable space and adds to the expense of portable electronic devices. Removing the photodetection circuit, however, would eliminate the power-saving benefits that are provided.